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Slide 1: Search Engine Optimization Windsor, Nova Scotia March 2, 2010
Slide 2: What is the Internet? • How does it work? • ...No, it’s not a series of tubes! • Search engine versus browser • More like a library…
Slide 3: What is a Search Engine? • How do they work? • Why Google? > 80 billion searches per month > Google has 75-80% of the market > People search for everything! > Tiddly Winks searched over 10,000 times in December 2009
Slide 4: GateKeepers of the Web • #1 way people access websites is through search • Search engines are the busiest and most used sites on the web • Local, global, regional… doesn’t matter • Direct Marketing Association: SEO the most important for generating web traffic Why SEO? Simple: make your website easier to find for people seeking what you have to offer.
Slide 5: How Does Google Make Money? • Why should you care? • What does this mean for me?
Slide 6: The Three Pillars of SEO • Content > Words, words, words • Links > Show Google that you are important • Other factors (technical) > Hello Google, can you see me?
Slide 7: Content • Use real language that reflects your offerings. • Latent Semantic Indexing • Use keyword tools to find appropriate keyword targets. • Make your webpage as relevant as possible to your keyword targets.
Slide 8: Links • How to find and get them? > Linkdomain:www.yadayada.com > Look at competitors’ websites > Do Google searches > Create rich content > What makes a link “good”? • Relevant topic sites • Authority sites • Relevant Anchor Text
Slide 9: Other Factors Technical problems and other issues > Google needs to see your site and content in order to index it. Frames, Flash, Java Script, poor navigation… all can pose problems for Google. > What the heck is WHOIS? > Why does where you are located matter?
Slide 10: What Makes a Site Win Top Rank?               Competitive challenge Page Rank, Trust Rank Smart targeting of customer groups Well written, well structured copy Copy placement Keyword density Concept clustering Keyword selection and use Removal of technical obstacles Link community size Link community quality Copy growth Penalty factors Search Engine “mood” changes...
Slide 11: USER EXPERIENCE! • One of the factors Google is now looking at is visitor satisfaction. • Are people engaging with the site? • How well laid out is the site Nav? • What sort of tools does the site have to enhance user experience? • The Point? Make your site as good as possible for your visitor!
Slide 12: Think Like Google!
Slide 13: Search Means Business Are they finding you first? If not, they're finding your competition...and you lose that customer! “SEO Halifax” – AlphaSearch #1 “Halifax SEO” – AlphaSearch #1 “Internet Marketing Halifax” – AIM #1, AlphaSearch #2 “SEO Moncton” – #1 an Alpha site “SEO Canada”, etc.
Slide 14: Optimize for Who?
Slide 15: The Challenge of Search − “Overall, effective SEM requires the integration of many disciplines… a marketer at heart, yet have client service (people) skills... possess copywriting abilities, knowledge of HTML... understand Web site architecture, usability, and site navigation, and have the technical aptitude to employ sophisticated tools, while also possessing a keen linguistic sense.” • from an article about why good search marketers are hard to find.
Slide 16: To Be Better, You Need to Do More.
Slide 17: Search Hot Spots
Slide 18: Search Tail
Slide 19: Keyword Research
Slide 20: Target Analysis
Slide 21: Code Problems?
Slide 22: Tracking, Reporting are Key
Slide 23: Structured Reporting is Key
Slide 24: SkiMontBlanc.com
Slide 26: SkiMontBlanc.com